Tubless tire fitting/removing on the road
 

So there's R1100GS, spoked wheels and tubless tyres. When i want to replace the dual purposes to offroad tyres on the road then...

What tools do you recomend not to do harm on the wheels? Is there some special toolset available (small and lightweight, optimum for travelling)?

Also is manual pump recommended on the road, or BMW pressuretube/repairing set does the job well on repairing punctures?

Margus

you can use a small g clamp to break the bead first, then either tyre levers with plastic rim protectors (from bike shops) or toutatech sell some funky looking tyre levers/wedges that look as though they might be good. personally i carry a foot pump to inflate the tyres.

You can also break the bead by riding slowly on deflated tyres over soft ground.

...if i may make a few sugestions. Before you leave, do a practice tire-change. If you get the idea now, you will be far more confident when you are broken down in the middle of NOWHERE!! Cary in your toolkit large tire-irons. Mine are 14" long, ive needed every inch. Also carry a small wire-brush and dish-soap. During your practice-run, make sure your rim is perfectly clean with the wire brush. When re-mounting your tire, use lots of dichsoap. This helps your tubeless tire seal, but more importantly helps you break your bead. I've never needed more than my irons to break my beads, as long as i've used lots of dishsoap. Cary lots of extra valves, o-rings for the removeable valve stem, valve removal tools (the little caps on your valve-stems), both rubber cement and vulcanizing fluid (for tubeless patches) Emory-cloth or sand-paper, and many high-quality patches for both tubes and tubeless tires. Don't forget plugs and the requied tool!
Finally, even though you you have tubeless tires, cary spare tubes! Recently i was stuck in Utah (In the middle of NOWHERE) with a slash in my rear sidewall. I tried to patch it from inside, but rubber cement failed. Need vulcanizing fluid for tires, and proper patches called boots. A tube finally saved me, and lasted for over 1000 miles http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif
Carry a cheap wallmart electric pump, wap it in a rag and never leave home without it! I've had mine for over 50000 miles! Also, carry a piece if nylon webbing, availiable from any sporting good or rock climbing shop. You will need this to wrap around your tire and tie a knot. Then slip one of your irons through it and twist, tightening the bead to the rim so it will seal, holding air and sealing the bead. One inch nylon webbing wraps up into a little ball and takes up less space than rope.
Hope this helps http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

Interesting thread...

Mr. Ron, I don't quite follow what you do with the nylon wrap http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/frown.gif but the rest sounds good.

IMHO the first option with tubeless tyres is always the plug. If that doesn't work the next option is a tube. Personally I feel safer with a tube after a puncture than with the plug.

With my R80GS it is no problem to force the tyre from the rim by using the centre stand which saves the g clamp and means that a 10" tire iron are sufficient. I've got some nice light-weight aluminum ones.

The trick with the centre stand is to use the weight of the bike to force the tyre from the rim. If you lean the bike to the side, slide the tyre under the stand until the stand is right next to the rim, then move the bike back into an upright position. Plop.

Just make sure to fasten the frontwheel or fork and the centre stand so they cannot move. As Mavis wrote, Touratech offers wedges to allow for a gap to fiddle in the tube.

The only problem is the weight of the bike. The R80GS is easier to handle than the 11xxGS. There you would probably need assistance.

Good luck!
Hans

.... or you can simply break the bead by put the tire under your mainstand.

centerstand = main stand

its all very well saying drive over it or use the stand, but some times its just not possible. carry a g clamp and make life easy. its also usefull for holding stuff to weld/bend/cut.

An excellent video regarding tire changing in the field on the 1150 GS Tubeless Tire is GlobeRiders™ BMW 1150 GS Bike Kit Instructional DVD (http://www.globeriders.com/video_mul...ltimedia.shtml) I highly recommend this video to learn how to do all kinds of things on your 1150 GS in the field. This video shows that you can change the tubeless tire with just the bare minimum (2 - 8 inch BMW tire irons, WD-40, and the side stand – it’s all technique). I have changed tires in the field 3x’s (http://www.mikesworldtour.com/april_may2005.htm - See pictures #2 & #3 from the top of the page). See if you can borrow a copy from your dealer or a friend.

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[This message has been edited by mikesworldtour (edited 16 October 2005).]

BMW have suplied some older models with two tire levers in the tool kit. These are about 6 inches long and the are useless (too short), but you only need one long lever to lift the beading free from the rim and a small tool to keep the beading from slipping back over the rim when you reposition the other lever.
I would recommend take one 6 inch lever and one lever 12 inches for more leverage or power.
To brake the beading you need to lay the wheel flat with the disc facing the top and something soft like a towl or rag under the hub for protection and step with both feet on the tire using your body weight to force the bead of the rim. This will allow you to first put the long lever behind the beading, hooking it securely and while pulling outwards on the tire you start to lift it over the rim. Once it is over you use the short lever to hold the tire beading in that position and move the long lever 2 inches over or as far as it will go before you force anothe section over. Go on like this till you are more than halfway round and then it will become easy.
The CO2 kit supplied by BMW are as useless as the short tire levers and are only nessesary if you fit tubeless tires. If you fit a tube the air will not escape so the slow flow from a handpump is not a drawback and you can nicely pump the tire to any presure you need. ( try get a specific presure with a CO2 cylinder.)

I must appologise as I though I read fitting tubed tires.
Everyting I said is good eccept that a handpump is no good to try and force the beading back on the rim. ( harder to get the beading on than to get it of.)
If you have the space a handpump is still needed to get the tire to the right presure.
Mr Ron's mention of the soap is very importand as this helps to form a seal between the loosly fitting tire and rim just before you use the CO2 cylinder ( or compressor) to allow the air in fast enough to pop the beading back over the rim.(make sure there is even contact between the rim and tire al the way around on both sides before you let the air in as fast as possible.)

I must say that because you will not always be succesfull at doing this and not have a compressor with unlimited air I would recoment to ride with tubes. It is a lot safer if you do a lot of offraod or dirtraod traveling where the tire presures ar lower. ( the sudden escape of air from a tubeless tire after hitting a bump at high speed can be very dangerouse, and believe me if you run low presure on your tires, witch you should if you ride in loose stuff, will cuase this to happen easely. )

[This message has been edited by gsworkshop (edited 17 October 2005).]